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Springer Forward, All Back: Astros Invade Kissimmee, OF George Springer 100%

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  • Updated: March 2, 2015
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The Houston Astros took the diamonds at Kissimmee’s (FL) Osceola County Stadium complex for their first full-squad workout Wednesday, February 25, and were especially happy to see a healthy George Springer shagging and swinging for the opening of Spring Training.

Last season’s rookie outfield breakout sported retro Astro rainbow stripes on the June 30, 2014 Sports Illustrated cover, and promptly lent credence to the supposed SI cover jinx when he went down with a leg injury 19 games later.

Shut down after collecting 20 home runs and 51 RBI in 78 games, Springer appears to have bulked up a bit over the winter, as well as having kept more than a couple Houston area barbers busy by keeping his head shaved along the back and sides, while keeping a long, furry hedge on top.

“There’s really no explanation for it,” Springer said recently when quizzed about his coif. “It started in May with (recently departed OF) Dexter Fowler, and I kind of just stuck with it and I got to the off-season and figured I would stick with it again, and now here I am and it’s all over the place and it’s fun.”

Affecting a mash-up of movie characters Joe Dirt (David Spade) and Ace Ventura (Jim Carrey), Springer has dubbed his ‘do “Joe Ventura.” Avoiding the Minute Maid Park groundskeeper might be an added chore for Springer this season, but being free of his left quad strain now allows him to run down flies and swing ferociously, picking up from last summer.

Spring Training Notes

  • New Astros manager A. J. Hinch has encouraged hitters to ease, slowly, into facing live pitching. The pitchers beat the everyday players into camp by several days, and some hitters have simply tracked pitches in the batting cage without swinging; others have been anxious to cut loose and swing.

“Today (Thursday, February 26) was like the first real assessment of where you really are,” first baseman Jon Singleton allowed. “We really got to see where we are, just tracking baseballs and trying to get pitch recognition, and see the spin of the baseball. It was huge.”

  • Left-handed starter Dallas Keuchel chose to throw at about 80-85% intensity. Interviewed recently, Keuchel explained, “You start ramping it up a little bit and the competitive juices start flowing, and you want to go full tilt. I was trying to keep laid back as much as possible coming from the bullpens and the first lives because you don’t want to blow it up too much, but it felt good to get back out there.”

By the way, Keuchel joins George Springer in the pursuit of hairiness: He arrived at camp with his James Harden-length beard rubber-banded at the tip. Long-haired outfielders Jake Marisnick and Colby Rasmus round out the players who won’t be buying L.A. Clippers tickets, fearing the presence of scissors.

  • Former Astros first baseman Lance Berkman visits camp the first week of March as a guest instructor. Adding that several other Astros legacy players will visit this spring, manager A. J. Hinch offered this rationale: “It’s good for our guys to be linked to the successful players in the past that are really invested in the Astros. They have a lot of experience to pass along.”

Berkman will discuss hitters’ approaches at the plate, observe batting practice, and work with the hitters and hitting coaches, as well as the first basemen.

Former Astros Nolan Ryan, Craig Biggio, Roger Clemens, and Jeff Bagwell are also slated for Spring Training instructional visits.

  • An 11-foot albino Burmese python, Sunshine, visited the clubhouse one day last week. Early rumors it slowly emerged from Dallas Keuchel’s beard were quickly squelched, and players had a blast playing with the huge, human-friendly guest from nearby Orlando’s Gatorland, and excitedly exploring the new world of reptile selfies.
  • With so many new and young players in camp, Hinch is using a mixed bag of trust and bonding exercises designed to build cohesion and team chemistry. A different young player is chosen each morning before workouts to address the team with background and family info, and face a challenging question or two from Hinch himself.

Veteran catcher Jason Castro agrees with the strategy: “It’s good for everyone to kind of hear other new guys in camp you might not get to know too much about.” Also, former #1 Draft pick, pitcher Mark Appel has been interviewing players, preparing a kind of team presentation due shortly.

  • The Astros open Spring Training competition this Thursday, March 5 against the Phillies. As of this writing, Hinch is leaning toward starting righthander Collin McHugh, who enjoyed a breakout season in ’14 with an 11-9 record and 2.73 ERA in 25 starts (154.2 innings).

Author: Brad Kyle

Brad was born the same year as rock’n’roll and Disneyland. Aging only slightly better than one of them, he’s a Houston native, and has seen countless Astro games, in all three Houston pro ball stadiums: Colt Stadium, The Astrodome, and Minute Maid Park.

His favorite non-Astro was Pirate legend Roberto Clemente, with 3rd baseman Bob Aspromonte his favorite Houston player as a kid, and Jeff Bagwell more recently.

Brad has spent professional time as a teacher, youth minister, radio personality, record store manager, entertainment booking agent, singer, comedy writer, and…..oh, yeah, sports writer!